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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · court · rest · club · row · racket · spell · lean

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to bend
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lean — thin
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — for sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — a break
  16. court — of law
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spell — magic
  23. row — a line
  24. club — for golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com